Saving North Atlantic Right Whales
Over the past 12 months (from February 2004) there have been six right whale deaths. Three confirmed ship strike-related mortalities were of pregnant females and their unborn calves.
The world's most endangered whale
After being hunted almost to extinction, collisions with boats and entanglements in fishing gear now threaten the survival of the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis), of which only approximately 350 are left. Busy shipping lanes bisect their coastal habitat and fishing activity crowds their feeding, breeding, and migratory habitats. For North Atlantic right whales, collisions with vessels and entanglements in fishing gear are everyday hazards.
A shocking wave of right whale deaths
On November 24, 2004 a 49-foot pregnant right whale died off the Virginia coast after it was apparently struck by a Navy Vessel on November 17th. This pregnant female and her full term fetus both bled to death. In December 2004, a dead right whale was found 86 miles east of Nantucket, Massachusetts.
On January 10, 2005 another right whale, a 45-foot female named Bolo, was found dead 75 miles east of Nantucket. Just two days later, another female right whale named Lucky was found dead 15 miles east of Cumberland Island in Georgia. Named for scars she received from a previous ship-strike, Lucky was pregnant with her first known calf.
Six right whales were also reported entangled in 2004, with four of those animals trapped in the gear since 2002.
Your help is needed to save the right whale
IFAW works to save the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale through non-invasive research, public advocacy, and education as well as through outreach and collaboration with the commercial fishing and shipping communities. IFAW's state-of-the-art research vessel, Song of the Whale, conducts innovative research on right whale behavior and biology, while also supporting other scientists in carrying out right whale research.
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Head and body of a Northern Right whale on the surface. Photo © IFAW
Download
Ship Strike Outreach
Project
The purpose of this project is to educate operators of vessels about the risk of
strikes with right whales and improve standards of vessel operation in the
vicinity of right whales. Our intent is that vessel operators will keep these
placards on-board and refer to them when needed.
Please contact us if you are interested in receiving a placard.
Check out research results from the IFAW team. Click below to see poster presentations from the Vancouver Marine Mammal conference, March 2001.
